Crown-block apparatus



Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,430

F. CAMPBELL CROWN BLOCK APPARATUS Original Filed June 28, 1926 I I I I I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY.

' June 28,1926.

Patented Nov. 13, 1928 UNITED STATES.

THOMAS r; CAMPBELL, or OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

CROWN-BLOCK APPARATUS.

Original application filed June 28,1926, Serial No. 119,005. Divided and this application filed December'20,

' 1926. Serial No. 155,946.

gas and artesian wells and its primary object is to provide by means of two tower units, two crown blocks, placed one above the other and having pulleys relatively disposed to cooper ate in the work of drilling the well.

A further object of the invention resides in the construction of the crown blocks and of the means for mounting the pulleys upon the same whereby the latter are readily moved relative to each other or changed in number by simple adjustments of the parts whichhold them in their operative position on the respective tower-units.

Still another object resides in providing means for taking up wear von theshafts on which the pulleys are supported, and further objects are to be found in novel arrangements of parts and details of. construction, as will fully appear in the course of the following description. r .1

The application is divisional of my application for patent, Serial No. 119,005, filed In the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 represents an elevation of the two crown-blocks of the derrick structure at the upper ends of the two tower units comprised therein, I

Figure 2, an elevation of the crown blocks, looking in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1, a

Figure 3, a horizontal section inthe plane indicated bythe line 3-3 Figure 1,

Figure 4, an enlarged section on the line 4- Figure3, and

Figure 5, a sectional detail of the upper end of one of the legs of the removable tower unit, showing themethod of supporting the crown block thereon. V 7

Referring further to the drawings, the derrick structure is composed of twotower-units, one of which is removable relative to theoth er. The units are each composed of four slightly converging legs which are detachably connected by means not shown in the drawings as not forming part of the present invention.

Supported at the upper ends of the legs 7 the permanent tower unit, which is higher than the removable unit, is a crown block composed of I-beam sills 5 and cross beams 6 of similar form on which the pulleys used in drilling the well are mounted.

A similar crown block composed of I-beam sills 8 and cross beams 9 is supported on the legs 10 of the removable unit, and mounted on this crown block are a number of pulleys which cooperate with those of the u er crown block as will hereinafter be more fh lly described. I

The sill-meinbers 8 of the crown block on the inner, lower tower-unit are supported on caps 12inserted. in the ends ofthe tubular legs 10 of the unit. The sills 8 which extend in alinement with the pairs of slanting legs on whichthey are supported, converge accordingly and they support the horizontal cross beams 9 of the crown block upon which the pulleys are mounted.

In order to provide a rigid support for the horizontal cross beams, wedge-shaped plates 13 are fastened upon the slanting sill beams as best shown in Figure 1. The beams 81 and 9 are rigidly fastened by machine bolts 14, and the rigidity of the structure is further increased bythe rods 15 which connect the sill beams at opposite ends ,thereofu The legs 7 of the permanent tower unit, projecting beyond the crown block on the re movableunit, are fastened to the beams 8 of said crown block by clamp-saddles 16 and their upper. ends are provided with caps 17, for the support of the sill-beams 5 of the upper crown-block.

The construction of the upper crown block 8 is similar to that of the lower crown block hereinbefore described, the cross beams 6 being fastened upon the beams5 by bolts 18 and the spaces between the .upper and lower beams being occupied by wedge-shaped fillers I 19. The upper crown block supports two grooved pulleys 20'and 21 mounted for rota tion on shafts 22. The shafts are fastened on the cross beams 6 by horse-shoe'clamps 23 which engage below'the upper flanges of the beams6;

The ends of the shafts have sockets or cavities 24 at quadrant points and the clamps 23 are provided with bolts 25 adapted to enter the cavities whichare uppermost.

The pulleys are mounted to rotate -on their respective shafts betweencollars 26 which separate them from the beams 6 and which are heldagainst rotation by shoulders 27 which engage the upper flanges of the beams.

The position of thepulleys on the shafts may be varied by the use of collars of different WlC ths and when the shafts become worn at their upper surfaces, the wear is readily taken up by partial rotation of the shafts and the adjustment of the bolts of the horse-shoe clamps from one of the cavities of the shaft to another.

The two cross beams of the upper crown block are separated by spreaders 28 and they are rigidly fastened together by bolts 29 extending through alined holes adjacent their ends. j

The lower crown block of the inner removable tower-unit has a plurality of cross beams 9 supported on the, two sill-beams 8; The outer cross beams are fastened upon thebeams 8 by bolts 30 and'the, other cross beams'placed between the outer beams, are mounted for adjustment to dififerent distances apart.

The various cross beams are separated from each other by spreaders 31in the form of angleplates, which are pivoted between the flanges of thebeains as at 32., and engage with the webs of the next ad oining bea Bolts 33 passing through alined apertures of the beams at opposite ends thereof, cooperate with the spreaders to hold the beams in their adjusted positions.

It will be apparent that by the use of spreadersof different lengths, the cross beams may be placed apart at any desired. distance,

it being understood that after the bolts have been loosened and the spreaders have been turned about their pivots or removed, the beams'9. between the outer beams which are bolted to the sill beams, may be'slid along the bolts in either direction.

Two shafts 34 are mounted on the cross beams by horseshoe clamps 35 engaging the flanges of the outer beams 15 as in the upper crown block hereinbefore described, and the shafts arealso adjustable by, partial rotation to take up wear,'and are held in their adjusted positions by set-bolts 36. Each shaft: supports a plurality of-grooved pulleys 37 placed in the spaces between the cross-beams, and the pulleysare spaced from the beams by collars 38 provided with shoulders 39 which by en-Y gagement with the beams, hold thenragainst rotation.

' It will be readily apparent that bythe use of collarsend spreaders of different widths and by adjustment of the cross beams, the pulleys may be adjusted on the shafts to different distances apart and that their number can be increasedor decreased as may be de sired to adapt the derrick for different purposes and for use under varying conditions;

In operation, the pulleys on the two crown blocks cooperate in drilling a well centrally of the derrick structure. The pulley 20 of the upper-crown-block is the spudding pulley thatsupports the cable of the drilling tool and the other pulley 21 is the sand pulley that supports the cable used in bailing the excavation.

' One'of the pulleys on the lower crownblock guides the cable of the spudding pulley to alinement with the center of the well in the axis or" the derrick-structure and the other pulleys serve for the support of cables used in the movement of casingsections-and machine parts employed in the formation of the well.

By the cooperative arrangement of the pulleys on the two crown blocks hereinabove described, a tower oi"- the desired height can i be erected without the extreme width or the lower crown block, the cable or the drill-Q L ing tool is suspended to extendvertically in the axis of the derrick to produce the well-- bore in the center of the derrick floor without strain or undue friction.

What I claim and desire to secure byLetJ ters Patent is 1. A derrick structure comprising two crown blocks each independently supported by said'structure, one above the other, a pul-' ley on the upper crown block, and apulley supported upon the lower crown block, said latter pulley being disposed to guide acable passing over the upper pulley to a determinatepoint at the foot. of the derrick.

2. A derrick structure comprising two crown blocks independently supported by said structure, one above the other, two pulleys on the upper crown block, andalarger number of pulleys on the lower crow'n'block, pulleys'on the lower crown block being dis posed to guide a cable running overa pulley on the upper crown block to a determinate point atthe foot of the derrick structure.

3. A derrick.structure comprising two crown blocks independently supported by said structure, one above the other, a ulley on the upper crown block, and a num er'of pulleys on the lower crown block, meansj for adjustably mounting the latter pulleys with respect to the pulley on the upper crown block, one of said pulleys on the lower block being disposed to guide a -cable running over"' the upper pulley to a 'determinatepoint at the foot of the derrick structure, P

l. A derrick structure comprising two crown blocks independentlysupported by said structure, one above the other, the supporting means for one of saidblocks being clamped to the supporting means forjthe other of said blocks,"a pulley on the upper crown block, and a pulley on the lower crown" block disposed to guide a cable passing over the upper pulley to a. determinate point at the foot ofthe derrick, the axis le s being parallel toeachother.

of said pul 5. In a derrick structure, a crown block including laterally adjustable beams, spacing means pivoted to each of said beams and movable into and out of engagement with adjacent beams.

6. In a derrick structure, a crown block including laterally adjustable beams, interchangeable spacing means pivoted to each of said beams and movable into and out of engageinent with adjacent beams.

7. In a derrick structure, a crown block including laterally adjustable beams, interchangeable spacers for said beams, means to pivot each of said spacers at one end thereof to one of said beams-for movement into and out of engagement with an adjacent beam, a shaft supported on said beams, and rotatable pulleys on the shaft between said beams.

8. In a derrick structure comprising two tower units, one of which is removable relative to the other, and each of which is composed of detachably connected slightly converging legs, the combination of two crown blocks, one mounted on one of said units, and the other mounted on the other of said units, and below said first'block; a pulley on the upper block, and a pulley on the lower block arranged to coact with the first mentioned pulley to guide a cable passing thereover.

9. In a derrick structure, a crown blockv comprising parallel, adjustable beams, spacing means pivoted to each of said beams and movable into and out of engagement with adjacent beams, a shaft'supported on the beams, rotary pulleys on the shaft between the beams, and interchangeable non-rotatable collars on the shaft and spacing the pulleys from the beams, said collars each having a shoulder engaging its adjacent beam.

10. In a derrick structure, a crown block comprising a support, cross beams fixed 1 thereon, adjustable beams between the cross beams and in the plane thereof, removable spacing means between the beams, said means vbeing pivoted to each of said beams and movable into and out of engagement with adjacent beams, a shaft supported on the beams, and rotary pulleys on the shaft between the beams.

11. A derrick structure comprising two THOMAS F. CAMPBELL. 

